Life in Rehab

Dear Mom,

 

June 30^th, memorial

The First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

 

I made it to Turin and to the Cenacolo community that lives just outside Turin in a little town called Saluzzo.  The community itself is a beautiful place that is completely on its own and sits up high in the Alps and over looks town of Saluzzo below.  It is a very special place and one of extraordinary peace and grace.  The entire day is spent living between moments of work and prayer.

 

However, when Adam and I arrived at the community we encountered a few problems.  The priest that is normally in residence was called away because of an emergency at the mission church in Russia.  So during our next three weeks we would be without a priest and therefore without daily Mass and the Sacrament of Confession.

 

After three days of living in the community and prayerfully considering our options and consulting with the people who run the Saluzzo house, we discerned that the best thing we could do as men preparing for the priesthood and for the start of Theology School this fall would be to return to Rome for the next few weeks were we would have access to the Sacraments.

 

In many ways it is sad to leave such a vibrant community.  All of the men there had suffered from terrible addictions and many of whom spent years of their life homeless, sleeping on the streets.  Despite all their hardships they are some of the most joyful and serene people you will ever encounter in your life; and this comes from the simple fact that they have chosen to put all worldliness behind them and put God back into their lives.

 

Every morning they wake up at 6 to pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary together, then a breakfast that consists of a bowl of coffee mixed with milk, followed by the beginning of the work day.  Everyone in the community has a job to do, some work in the kitchen, some clean the community, and some are carpenters.  During my three days there I worked as a gardener/groundskeeper.  I got to rake and pile a bunch of hay and grass into a huge pit and then burn it all for compost.  It is always fun when you get to start huge fires.

 

In the afternoon you pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary to show that work is also prayer and that your work should be sanctified.  Then in the evening around 7 or so the entire community prays the Glorious Mysteries together and that is followed by dinner.  In the community they never sit down except at meals and there is never an idle moment, they wash all their cloths by hand and share everything.  They sleep on bunk beds crammed 8 to 16 people in a small room about the size of the room at my house back in the states.  They will wash their hands and face at the end of the day but only shower twice a week (which is amazing considering how hard they work outside when it is hot and there is no air conditioning anywhere).

 

The community shares everything, including cloths.  You wear two sets of cloths which you change out throughout the day: your work cloths and your meal cloths.  And every four days you turn in your old set of cloths and get new ones.  This was my personal favorite part of the community life because Adam Haake was given these tight, bright white pants that were so Italian.  He looked ridiculous and you know he hated them, which made the whole thing even funnier.  I wish that I had a picture of it, and not having one is my biggest regret in life thus far.

 

The Bishop had instructed us that one of our main priorities for the summer would be to study and learn Italian.  We thought that living in an Italian community and being immersed in the language would be a great way to learn.  However, almost everyone in the community knew English and was excited to practice it.  Nobody there spoke Italian to us and the daily structure of the community did not allow for any time for private study.  This was another thing that factored in our decision to return early back to Rome.

 

So we will spend the next few weeks back in Rome, which will give us time for study and allow us to get to know our new home.  It will also allow me to keep this site updated.  In about three weeks I will leave for a language school in Assisi, I am very excited about staying in the hometown of St. Francis.  I will miss many aspects of the community life of Cenacolo, and most of all the people who in my short stay there taught me much, including so many virtues which I lack and need to work on acquiring.

 

With Love from Rome,

Your Son